Australia vs. Jordan Football Friendly Relocated to Qatar Amid Security Concerns

The international football friendly between Australia and Jordan, scheduled for next week, has been moved to Doha, Qatar, Football Australia (FA) announced on Friday. The decision to relocate the match from Amman, Jordan, comes after security concerns were raised.

Earlier this month, a security officer was killed and another wounded in a stabbing attack in Amman. These concerns follow Jordan's air strikes in Syria late last month, launched in retaliation for a church attack that resulted in nine deaths and 40 injuries. While such attacks are uncommon in Jordan, a key US ally, the recent incidents prompted a review of the match's safety.

Australia, who are also set to play Qatar in Doha on Friday, were originally scheduled to travel to Jordan for the Tuesday fixture. However, Professional Footballers Australia indicated last week that the Australian players had overwhelmingly expressed their preference for the match to be moved.

FA CEO Martin Kugeler expressed gratitude to the Jordan Football Association (JFA) for agreeing to the relocation. "We are very grateful to the Jordan Football Association for accepting to relocate the match," Kugeler stated in a release. "We know how much the Jordan team and fans were looking forward to welcoming the Socceroos to Amman. The dialogue with the JFA has been nothing but open, respectful and collaborative. They were wonderful hosts in Amman this week, and I thank them for their professionalism and flexibility. We look forward to welcoming Jordan to Australia in the future."

Last week, Jordan also cancelled a friendly against Indonesia at the request of the Indonesian FA. Both Australia's matches against Qatar and Jordan were intended as preparation for the Asian Cup, which has been postponed until December of the following year due to attacks on host nation Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi forces.